Impact and Outcomes: The Ethical Perils of Distancing in Peacebuilding Grant Solicitations

Abstract

This paper explores the moral values that are embedded in peacebuilding funder discourse that affect the focus and locus of peacebuilding projects. The paper analyses the moral values embedded in a set of USAID grant solicitations between 2008 and 2014, which focus on inter-communal relationship-building within peacebuilding projects. This set of solicitations is intriguing because it suggests that there are efforts underway to fund creative, locally led peacebuilding efforts in ways that contradict general bureaucratic processes and norms. The efforts, however, are nascent and point to a series of tensions involved in large bureaucracies funding peacebuilding. Ultimately, the paper argues that particular duties and consequences are prioritised, which limits authentic relationships and genuine responses to needs.